A man who bludgeoned his girlfriend to death with a hammer has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Asad Niazi killed Charito ‘Che’ Cruz by hitting her on the head more than 50 times with a hammer in front of their baby daughter at their rented home in Cambridge Road, Kingston.

Jobless Niazi claimed he lost control after discovering Ms Cruz, 37, had rekindled an affair with a former lover by going through messages left on a computer.

He admitted manslaughter but denied murder on the grounds of loss of control and diminished responsibility, claiming he was suffering from severe depression at the time of the attack on September 26, 2011.

But at the Old Bailey today (Thursday), a jury found Niazi guilty of murder.